An article published by the Time Magazine elaborates on the importance of listening to and experiencing live music. We couldn’t agree more. Where recorded music is beautiful, the experience, excitement and novelty of watching a live band perform and create music before your very eyes is something else entirely!
Live Bands and Events
Events have always benefitted from the presence of live bands and performances. It adds to the energy and exhilaration of the event in question and also brings with it a uniqueness that can’t be replicated.
Of course, such success relies in part on the skill and prowess of the band itself as well as on your abilities to communicate and coordinate as an organizer.
Things You Should Remember When Working with a Live Band
After having worked with numerous live bands and event organizers and even having mediated between the two, we have come up with some important pointers for organizers in particular. If you’re working with a live band for your event, here are 5 things you should remember!
The first thing you need to understand is even if the live band you have hired is skilled and seasoned; your event is question is possibly new to them. If you want things to go smooth, you need to communicate.
Talk to the band members or band head. Ask about their strengths. Tell them about your event and expectations and see if you can come up with something mutually viable. Don’t leave things to chance or the imagination. Communicate and chances are you’ll be okay!
Don’t be a Dictator
Where communication is important, try not to get in the band’s way. If you hire a seasoned and professional live band for your event, you should know that they have probably performed at numerous events successfully. For this reason, it is important to give them room where it is needed.
If the band lead or one of the members makes a polite suggestion regarding a choice of song or something else relating to the performance, don’t veto their decision. Hear them out and understand that the advice and input they offer is probably in your best interest. This is especially if you’re working with an experienced group of performers.
Get them What They Need
You might want to cut costs and corners on equipment but if the band you’re hiring makes a request, you best follow through. There are countless occasions where organizers do not heed the requirements of the band and then complain because the performance received was not up to par.
Professional musicians know exactly what they need to deliver impeccable performances so if they ask you for a certain kind of soundboard, speaker, cable or anything else, make sure they get it! Do your best to equip them and they’ll make sure the performance is a success.
Keep Them Energized
It’s easy to forget the physical needs of those performing amidst a big event but as an organizer, you need to take this into account. Make sure the band playing for you is supplied with what they need. Most importantly make sure they are adequately hydrated and if it’s a long even, allow the band to take intervals and catch their breath! If your band is happy, your guests will be too!
Pre-Set Prices and Don’t Haggle
It is in seriously bad taste to haggle with artists of any kind. It doesn’t matter if they’re painters, musicians or theatre actors. The work they do takes energy, soul and effort and if they have a value for is, it’s bad manners to try shortchange them.
Establish all dues and payments well before your event and once contracts have been signed and costs set, do your bit and compensate your band as promised.
Winding Down
If you follow the steps above, you can rest assured that you and the band you hire for your event will get along phenomenally. Furthermore, the event in question will likely be a roaring success. There are numerous bands within the US that specialize in different musical genres.
The Razzmajazz Dixie Band is a Dallas – Texas based band which has been successfully entertaining music lovers, enthusiasts and guests for over two decades. Specializing exclusively in Original Jazz styles such as Dixieland and swing jazz from the 20’s to the 50’s the band offers to perform at corporate events, Mardi gras and other desired events and functions.
